Reasonable Cleaning Fee for Homeshare Hosts

[Suzanne302]

I just saw a homeshare listing with a cleaning fee of $50! The cleaning fee was higher than the nightly rate. Which got me thinking...Are there guests out there who would actually book this place?

I don't see how the host could justify a $50 cleaning fee. Mine is a modest $10, which I think is fair. I was thinking of raising it to $15.

What do other homeshare hosts charge? And does your nightly rate influence what you decided to charge? How do you justify your cleaning fee?

[Ann72]

@Suzanne302 I understand, but I was trying to say that you would be surprised that people don't quibble about it for the most part, so you could calculate an hourly wage for your efforts and charge that without worry.

[Suzanne302]

@Ann72 

I'm going to try it out and see how it goes. I'll start by raising it a whole $5 and see if it makes a difference in bookings. LOL!

[Ann72]

@Suzanne302 LOL - living large!

[Robin4]

@Suzanne302 

Lifting your cleaning fee by $5 will have no negative impact on your reservations.

The issue for guests is, they think they have already paid for the preparation of the space in the listing amount, and they do see a cleaning fee as 'double-dipping'. I can understand that, but it has now become so prevelant that guests just accept it, and as long as it is (to them)  reasonable, they don't have a problem with it. In fact to raise your fee from $10 to $15 would be still be seen as very reasonable Suzanne, because most will understand that no professional cleaner would work for that cost, and if the space is clean and tidy, they will feel they are getting good value.

Suzanne, most people in the US would consider $5 is not even tipping money!

I prefer to look at the cleaning fee not so much as a cleaning fee but a single night supplement.

Cheers......Rob

[Pete69]

You can't just think of it as a cleaning fee. It can also be thought of as a short-term stay fee. I don't do stays of less than 2 days. And I would much prefer longer stays. I don't want to be a maid all the time. Airbnb doesn't let you charge more for shorter stays. The only workaround is to jack up your cleaning fee and lower your daily rate. This encourages longer stay guests.

[Sally221]

I myself don't mind 1 night stays and grumble a bit to myself about the 10% discount that ABB wants to give for longer stays- I do 5%- it just  goes to show the diversity of listings that should be our strength.

  There's a strategy of lowering the rate to book a room and then raising the cleaning rate to compensate.It's part of the ABB race to the bottom.

  I am one of those who also hates sticker shock and I am still resisting the idea of charging a cleaning fee. I like to think of myself as running a minute BnB  and you aren't charged a cleaning fee at an Old school Bed & Breakfast.  I enjoy  being able to impose a higher standard of tidiness on our whole property because we have guests. I justify alot of hard work this way. If I actually paid myself a living wage for cleaning and gardening  this bird wouldn't fly!   Sally

[Suzanne302]

@Sally221  I'm like you... I don't mind the one nighters either. I don't want a roommate! My ideal guest stays 2-3 nights, then I get a little break, then host another. I don't allow anything longer than a 6-night stay.

It is nice we all offer different types of listings to attract different types of guests.

[Kath9]

@Suzanne302, I totally get where you're coming from - you're not talking about whole houses or paying cleaners. I rent out a room in my house and, like you, I charge $10 for cleaning. Now, this obviously does not cover the time I spend changing, washing, hanging out, taking in and folding up the bed linen, making up the bed, cleaning the bedroom, the bathroom and toilet and the whole house (which they have access to), vaccuuming and mopping the floors, etc. let alone the cost for cleaning products. If I were to pay myself a cleaner's wage to do this, it would be at least $50 per guest. HOWEVER, the point is that the payment for this work is really embedded in my nightly room rate (of $50 per night). The cleaning fee, in my mind, just makes this fairer for people who book more than 1 night because it is so much less work for me.

[Brenda357]

High cleaning fees have always been my gripe with AIrbnbs. I don’t mind paying a reasonable cleaning fee I would expect that. However in a lot of the Airbnb‘s that I checked for possible visits there would be anywhere from $30-$50 charged.  In addition to these fees charged by host, they always  seem to  ask guests to clean up. They leave a list of chores to do like empty the trash, take bedding off the bed,put all the dirty towels and sheets in the laundry. I mean if I’m Paying a cleaning fee I don’t expect to have to do all these chores.  Granted I don’t mind doing a few things,but I’ve even been asked to put the sheets and towels in the washing machine. With no instructions how to use the washing machine.

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